Ed Bedington, editor of MTJ, said: “The halal sector is a growing market, and there are increasing numbers of shops opening to cater for that trade. It’s very exciting to be able to include them as a new category into this competition and recognise some of the talent in that sector.”

Naved Syed, from the Eblex Halal Steering Group, welcomed the inclusion. “In sponsoring the Halal Butcher’s Shop of the Year 2010, Eblex, under the leadership of Nick Allen, clearly shows it is serious about being in the halal market.”

Eblex head of trade development Peter Hardwick said: “The halal market is very important to the English sheep meat production sector. With a growing population and high-quality meat produced in this country, we expect the halal sector to continue to expand.

“We are delighted to be able to support the industry through this award in recognition of the high quality of product and butchery standards that we see in halal butchers around the country.”